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Keel and weight question

jomarr

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Jose Maria Ty Buscas
Hello and good day. First time parrot owner here

I have bought a male Eclectus parrot which was sold to me weaned but was in doubt because as I bought it home it kept begging for food. As I read more about from this forum I stumbled upon "abundance weaning" so I offered him formula and kept introducing new foods.

I am tracking his weight when I brought him home and was at 340g which alarmed me because it did not reach the average weight of an Eclectus. I also read about the keel bone being U shape the optimal shape, and V being bad.

My concern is I have been slowly raising his weight and is now currently at 361g but his keel is still in V shape, any thoughts on why this is happening and how to fatten or build up muscle mass on the keel healthily? He is very active and sweet but I am concerned about his keel.

Advice and eckie chop will be very appreciated. ✌
 

Sparkles!

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First question: how old is this bird? Give us an “at least this old because that’s how long I’ve had him” if nothing else. The earliest I’ve ever had an Ekkie wean was 12 weeks, the longest was triple that.

Second question: is this bird flighted? Flighted eclectus can drop weight as babies if not managed.

As far as the keel, it’s going to depend on how old and his activity to say whether or not 360s is a good range for him.

SI? Vos?
 

jomarr

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Jose Maria Ty Buscas
First question: how old is this bird? Give us an “at least this old because that’s how long I’ve had him” if nothing else. The earliest I’ve ever had an Ekkie wean was 12 weeks, the longest was triple that.

Second question: is this bird flighted? Flighted eclectus can drop weight as babies if not managed.

As far as the keel, it’s going to depend on how old and his activity to say whether or not 360s is a good range for him.

SI? Vos?
Oh sorry, forgot about that. He is a vos and will be turning 13 weeks old this December 2.

He can fly in his cage but so far I only saw him glide down and crawl its way up. If I put him out his cage he usually just play with his toys or eat. But I'm sure he knows how to fly because I saw him do it once.
 
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Sparkles!

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Oh gosh, so he’s 12 weeks today.
Is he still getting any formula? His behavior sounds normal, but yes I would be putting as much high value/gain food into him as he wants to eat.

His weight is increasing, since you’ve had him, and that’s a good trend. But a vet visit and lab work wouldn’t be money out the window.

*I do not worry about fat percentages when ekkies are immature.* I only worry about that when they reach adult maturation- and the entirety of their adult lives. But babies?? Feed them. Tropican and Harrison’s both make a high potency that would be suitable for this baby.

Some babies, if they’ve maybe gotten a rough start in life, can yo yo weight and get on the much too thin side before becoming flighted- you don’t want that. Babies naturally drop weight as they fledge so ideally you want a cushion as they’re learning to fly, so they don’t drop too low.

Let us know what you’re feeding or offering him through the day-
 

Shezbug

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Good idea to have a vet check done ASAP- it’s your first bird, it was sold to you as weaned which it clearly wasn’t, you have concerns about weight- these are all good reasons to push fthat first vet visit to happen sooner rather than later.

@Monaco might share some diet and general Ekkie information with you
 

jomarr

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Oh gosh, so he’s 12 weeks today.
Is he still getting any formula? His behavior sounds normal, but yes I would be putting as much high value/gain food into him as he wants to eat.

His weight is increasing, since you’ve had him, and that’s a good trend. But a vet visit and lab work wouldn’t be money out the window.

*I do not worry about fat percentages when ekkies are immature.* I only worry about that when they reach adult maturation- and the entirety of their adult lives. But babies?? Feed them. Tropican and Harrison’s both make a high potency that would be suitable for this baby.

Some babies, if they’ve maybe gotten a rough start in life, can yo yo weight and get on the much too thin side before becoming flighted- you don’t want that. Babies naturally drop weight as they fledge so ideally you want a cushion as they’re learning to fly, so they don’t drop too low.

Let us know what you’re feeding or offering him through the day-
Yes, i feed him formula 2x a day with 30cc per feeding. I introduce solid foods an hour before feeding and replace it at 2pm. He is very picky, I introduce this food, becomes his favorite for a day or two then proceeds to ignore it. I also hang around vegetables in the walls for him to play and eventually eat it, so far he just plays with it.

My chop contains carrots, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, sweet potato, snap peas and green peas. And put in fruits like apples, bananas, and mangoes when its time to feed as they go bad easily.

Thank you so much for your reply.
 

Shezbug

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I think you’ll find most prefer to feed the formula then offer the solid foods.
 

Monaco

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Yes, i feed him formula 2x a day with 30cc per feeding. I introduce solid foods an hour before feeding and replace it at 2pm. He is very picky, I introduce this food, becomes his favorite for a day or two then proceeds to ignore it. I also hang around vegetables in the walls for him to play and eventually eat it, so far he just plays with it.

My chop contains carrots, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, sweet potato, snap peas and green peas. And put in fruits like apples, bananas, and mangoes when its time to feed as they go bad easily.

Thank you so much for your reply.
This a great start! Don't get discouraged at disinterest, just getting used to variety is important. Sometimes we go through mango like she doesn't know anything else is edible, and other times (now) she doesn't touch it for weeks.

Feel free to add a variety of cooked legumes. Navy, pinto, black and lima are favorite beans around here. I've noticed that despite weight gain (she's learning to fly and both using up more calories and building new muscle) her keel can get pointy pretty easily. Mine is older, so it's harder to balance things. Extra protein will help maintain condition through more active times.

There's a good thread in the Eclectus alley about diet. I think it's called "diet study."
 
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